A History of History [Paperback]

In a provocative analysis of European and American historical thinking and practice since the early 18^thcentury,A History of History confronts several basic assumptions about the nature of history. Among these are the concept of historical realism, the belief in representationalism and the idea that the past possesses its own narrative. What is offered in this book is a far-reaching and fundamental rethinking of realist and representationalist history of a particular kind by addressing and explaining the ideas of major philosophers of history over the past three hundred years and those of the key theorists of today. In pursuing this radical analysis, the understanding of history as a narrative is evaluated along with contemporary notions such as the continuing presence of the past and the idea of its lessons. Written by one of the leading thinkers on the subject, A History of Historyprovides an accessible and radical history of history while offering new insights into the pressing questions of the nature, purpose and function of history. This book is an essential text for all students, teachers and consumers of history.

Introduction. Part 1. 1 The Emergence of Modern Historical Thinking. 2 History as Science. 3 Forms of History Today. Part 2. 4 History of a Particular Kind and the Rise of the Multi-Sceptic Historian. 5 Refiguring the Past. 6 An Improper Contempt for Proper History. Part 3. 7 The Presence of the Past. 8 The End of (a) Historical Consciousness (of a Particular Kind). Conclusion.

A brilliant yet accessible work on contemporary historical theory which does two things no book has previously attempted: first, at the level of the individual, the work shows how the mystifications of academia allow historians to ignore the fictive nature of their enterprise; and, second, the book turns its theoretical stance back upon itself, encouraging readers to deconstruct its arguments al³&